Root-digging machine.



No. .69I,292. Patented'lan. I4, [902, E.SANDSTROM.

ROOT DIGGING MACHINE. (Application filed. Mat. 25', 1901. (No Model.) 4 snetssneet I.

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ATTORN EY No. 69|,,292. Patented Ian. 14, I902;

' E. SANDSTBO'M.

ROOT DIGGING MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1901.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 69l,292. Patented Jan. '14; 1902.

E. SANDSTROMQ- ROOT meme MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1991. (No Model.) 4 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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vNo. 69!,292. Patented Jan l4, I902.

E. SANDSTRUM. ROOT DIGGING MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 38, 1901.) (No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

, ATTORNEY UNITED STAT S PATENT ()FFICE.

ED\VARD SANDSTROM, OF WILMINGTQN, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO THOMAS G. HOLLAND, OF \VILMIN GTON, DELAWARE.

ROOT-DIGGING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,292, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed March 28, 1901. Serial No- 53,205. (No model.)

To (Z5 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD'SANDsTRoM, a citizen of the United States of America; and a resident of Wilmington, county of Newcastle, State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet and other Root Digging Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists, essentially, of two series of radiating spoon-shaped spades set edge to edge in circles and fronting each other in a wheeled carrier, which beingdrawn along the ground forces the spades into the ground on the sides of the rows of beetsoiother roots, respectively, and by means of suitable cams causes the spades to close on and grip the beets after entering the ground beside them and raise them in the ascen'dingcourse of the spade alongyvith more or less earth to the uppermost range of the spades,where they open and drop the beets into ascreen,whereby the accompanying earth is separated and from which the beets are discharged into car riers and therebydelivered into a' receptacle in which they are collected in quantities to be discharged in piles from time to time, as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- 0 Figure 1 isaplan view of myimpr'oved beet-' digging machine with some parts in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'a central vertical transverse section. Fig. 4 is 5 a rear elevation, and Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal sectional elevation with a rear partof the machine broken off.

In the first place there is a horizontal frame comprising side members (1, preferably in 40 two parts with an intermediate space, one

hind transverse member b, and a front transverse and intermediately offset member 0, which frame carries at the middle of each side member an upright grooved post 6, and the posts and the said side members a have an outwardly-extended short axle cl, by which said frame is mounted in a pair of carryingwheels f. The upper ends of the posts care coupled by a truss g for stability.

In the groove'of each post e is a verticallyshifting journal-box h, in which a shaft 2',

boxes, is mounted.

carrying-wheels. are thus to be'forced into the ground each side of the rows of beets, respectively, as in- ;dicated in-Fig.'3,, and there is a stationary beets between them.

which extends from one to the other of the This shaft carries near its center two series of spoon-shaped spades j, with their cutting edges pointing outward radially and set edgewise to each other in transverse planes of the shaft by means of rings 75, supported on suitable arms Zof hubs m of said shaft, the spades of each series being set fronting spades of the other series in radial lines of the axes, and they are pivoted by short arms 11. to the supporting-rings 7c, so as to swing toward and from eachother in longitudinal planes of the shaft. The shaft is normally carried at the lowest posiiion' of its boxes h in the grooved posts, whereby'it will be seen in Fig. 3 that the spades penetrate the ground through the effect of the'weight on them, so as to be rotatedas the machine is drawn along on the These two-series of spades cam-ring 0 behind each series ofspades, which causes the spades to close on the beets after being thrust in the ground beside them and grip and raise them out and carry them to the upper range of the course, where said cams diverge at r and permit the beets and the accompanying earth to fall out of the spades. 'Springsp are employed to insure the opening of the spades in case the earth should pack and the spades should stick.

The spoon-bowl form of the spades is considerably less complete on the edge that approachesthe beets when entering the ground than on the other edge for free entry of the (See 46 on some of the spades.) On the other edge the bowl shape is entire for the more effective closing of the spade edges behind the beets for more certainty in lifting the beets out of the ground.

In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the cams allow wide opening of the spades entering the 5 ground; but when entered the cams close the spades to the extent shown in Fig. 3 and maintain them about the same until reaching the uppermost position or thereabout, where the notches 0' allow the spades to open with [03 -a sudden shock, designed to shock the earth V t' by hubs m and m, respectively.

these notches, are also designed to shock the spades and jar the earth loose.

The matters discharged from between the opening spades fall onto a duplex chute q, supported on the shaft 1', so as not to rotate, by a pendent weight 8, and therefrom they are discharged into screens i carried on said rings is and other rings 12, supported on shaft These screens discharge into endless elevator-belts y, one at each side of the machine, which run around the tail ends of the screens and over guide-pulleys 2 and 3, so as to dump the beets into spouts 4 for delivery into a collectingbasket 5 to be discharged in piles from time to time on the ground. The basket.5 is pivoted at 6 in rearWardly-extended arms 7 of the frame for being dumped from time to time by pulling up the chain 8, hooked on the hind part'ot the drivers seat 9. The elevator-belts 1] return over guide-pulleys 10 to the screens, from which the beets are discharged into them.

It is desirable to cut oif the beet-tops in advance of the spades and to thrust the tops aside clear of the diggers, for which a doubleedged steel cutter-blade 11 is arranged on the lower end of a pendent shaft 12 to rotate horizontally over the beets, said shaft being suspended from a bar 13, carried by arms 14, pivoted at 15 between the side members ct of the main frame. The upper end of the shaft has a bevel-wheel16, which gears with one or the other of a pair of bevel-wheels 17, according as one or the other of said wheels is coupled with it by the shifter 18, controlled by the operators lever 19, said wheels 17 being feather-keyed on the shaft 20, which is operated by the sprocket-chains 21,, driven bythe screen, so that as the wheels 17 are on opposite sides of wheel 16 they will turn the cutter in opposite directions,respectively.

The purpose of this is, with the aid of a verti- .cal flange 22 along the middle of the upper side of the cutter, to throw the cut tops of the beets to the dug side of the field, whichever way the machine may be moving, so as not to obstruct the spades, the wheels 17 being properly shifted each time the machine is reversed at the side of the field. The shifting-lever 19 is pivoted at 23 for throwing the shifter 18 by taking efiect on a studpin 24, by which it is also pivoted to the shifter. The lever can shift on pivot-stud 24 between its head and shifter 18, and a coiled spring 25 is placed between the head and the lever to bear the lever constantly against the shifter. A stud 26 on the shifter 18, engaging a hole provided for it in the lever, will when engaged in said hole and maintained therein by the spring 25 lock the shifter in one of its positions and maintain the connection of the bevel-wheels for driving in one direction, and likewise the stud 26, set in another hole of said lever 19, or it may be the lever set against one side of the stud will lock the shifter with the wheels in gear for driving the cutter in the other direction. The play of lever 19 in the lengthwise direction of stud 24 allows the necessary swing of the lever for engaging and disengaging it with the stud 26.

.The cam-rings 0, that control the opening and closing of the spades, are carried on the inner extremities of arms 27, which at their outer ends are connected to cross-bars 28 and 7 3 29, respectively, of a frame whose side bars 30 rest at the middle on the bearing-boxes 72-, carrying the shaft 2'. The front bar 29 is pivoted on frame-bar c at 31, and the hind bar 28 tests on frame-bar 1). Near the front ends of It is necessary to lift and maintain the spades above ground when transferring the machine from place to place, also the cutter, and the screens and the spade-controlling cams must be raised together-with the spades.

The boxes h of the shaft tare therefore jointed at 33 to the extremities of levers 34, pivoted intermediately of their ends to side framebars a at 35, the two levers being at their other extremities connected to the bar 36,

reaching from one to the other of said levers 5 under the front bar 0 of the main frame and rigidly connected to them. To the middle of this bar 36 a strong push-stud 37 is connected at 38, said stud extending upward from the bar a suitable distance and having head 39 I00 of the upper end in suitable proximity to the drivers seat 9 for convenient application of his foot to thrust the levers 34 downward. About midway of the length of this push-stud it has a catch 40, adapted to engage under bar 29 when thrust below said bar. The effect of thus thrusting down the bar 36 and levers 34 is shown in Fig. 5. The shaft 4', resting in the boxes h, is thrust upward, and it carries bars 30, which rest on them, swinging bar 28, 1 10 on which the cams rest, upward on the axis of bar 29, confined in the pivot-boxes 31, thus raising the spades, cams, and screens out of danger of conflict with the ground. At the same time the studs 32 of bars 34 lift the cut- I 1 ter-gear-carrying bars 14, pivoted at 15, so as to raise the cutter also. The guide or carrying rollers or pulleys for the endless-elevator carriers y are mounted on suitable pivotstuds, as 41, 42, and 43, of outrigger-arms 44, pivoted to the side bars a. of the main frame at 45, so that they may, if desired, be raised at the outer ends and hooked up in any approved way when the machine isbeing transported over the ground; but this is prob- 1 25 ably not essential, as the basket 5 maybe swung upward on its pivots 6, so as to clear the ground sufficiently.

While I have represented and described the foregoing means of elevating and supporting 1 0 the spades and other parts for transportation, I do not mean to limit myself thereto specifically, for it is obvious that practically similar apparatus may be employed in various modifications for accomplishing the same purpose, and although I have shown and described the beet-top cutter I do not claim it herein; but I do claim it in another application, Serial No. 60,711, filed May 17, 1901.

In practice I will provide a suitable footboard in front of the spades below the seat and between the chains 21 or over them for support and protection of the drivers feet; but Lhave not represented it herein, as it would to some extent obscure parts of the drawings.

Any -suitable chutes may be arranged under the heads of the screens, where the most of the earth will fall, and so directed as to return much of the earth dug out with the beets back into the trench for leaving the surface in better condition.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades set radially edge to edge in cir-" cles in parallel vertical planes respectively, with the points outward relatively to the-centers of the circles, on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades are subject to force the spades into the ground on the sides of the rows of beets respectively, cams which close the spades on the beets when duly entered in the ground beside the beets to grip and carrythe beets along the upward range of the spades, means to open the spades in the upper position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, and means for receiving the beets in said middle space and separating them from the accompanying matters.

2. The combination of two series of spoona shaped spades set radially edge to edge in circles inparallel vertical planes respectively, with the points outward relatively to the centers of the circles, on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades are subject to force thespades into the ground on the sides of the rows of beets respectively, cams which close the spades on the beets when dulyentered in the ground beside them to grip and carry the beets along theupward range of the spades and means to open the spades in the upper position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, said spades having the hinder side edges adapted for more closely confining the beets between them than the forward side edges.

3. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades set radially edge to edge in circles in parallel vertical planes respectively with the points outward relatively to the centers of the circles, on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades are subject to force the spades into the ground on the sides of the rows of beets respectively, cams which close the spades on the beets when duly entered in the ground beside the beets to grip and carry the beets along the upward range of the spades, means to open the spades in the upper position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, rotatory screens coincident with said middle space and means for directing'the falling matters from the spades thereto for separating the same.

4. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades set radially edge to edge in circles in parallel vertical planes respectively with the points outward relatively to the centers of the circles, on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades are subject to force the spadesinto the ground on the sides'of the rows of beets respectively, cams which close the spades on the beets when duly entered in the ground beside the beets to grip and carry the beets along the upward range of the spades, means to open the spades in the upper position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, rotating screens coincident with the said middle space, means for directing the falling matters from the spades thereto for separating the same and endless carriers receiving the beets from the screens and conducting them away to the rear of the machine.

5. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades set radially edge to edge in circles in parallel vertical planes respectively with the points outward relatively to the 'centers of the circles, on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades are subject to force the spades into the ground on the sides of the rows of beets respectively, cams which close the spades on the beets when duly entered in the ground beside them to grip and carry the beets along the upward range of the spades, means to open the spades in the upper position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, r0- tatory screens coincident with said middle space, and means for directing the falling matters from the spades thereto for separating the same, said spades and screens and spade-actuating cams mounted concentrically with a shaft carried in bearings in vertical slideways of the Wheeled carrier, and provided with means for raising said bearings and thereby raising the spades and screens for transportation above ground.

6. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades, set radially edge to edge in circles in parallel vertical planes respectively with the points outward relatively to the centers of the circles on a wheeled carrier which is adapted to be drawn along the ground and with the aid of the weight to which the spades ITO into the middle space between the spades, rotatory screens coincident with the said middle space, means for directing the falling matters from the spades thereto for separating the same, endless carriers for receiving the beets from the screens and discharging them rearwardly out of the machine, said spades, cams, carriers and screens mounted concentrically with a shaft whose bearings are carried in vertical slideways of the Wheeled carrier and provided with means for raising said bearings and thereby raising the spades, cams and screens for transportation above ground, said endless carriers arranged on the tail ends of the screens for reception of the beets therefrom, and for being operated thereby.

7. The combination of the digging-spades occupying the middle position in the wheeled carrier and arranged and adapted as described for raising and discharging the beets, a rotating screen on each side of the spades and coincident with the center space for receiving the beets, an endless carrier on each tail end of each screen for receiving the beets therefrom, guide-pulleys for each carrier extended rearwardly from the machine, an inwardly-discharging spout for receiving the beets from each carrier, and the dumpingbasket suspended between the carrier for reception of the beets from both.

8. The combination of two series of spoonshaped spades set radially edge to edge in circles in parallel vertical planes respectively with the points outward relatively to the centers of the circles, cams adapted to close the spades 011 the beets when duly entered in the ground beside them to grip and carry the beets along-the upward range of the spades, means to open the spades in the upward position and discharge the beets into the middle space between the spades, a rotatory screen coincident with the center of each series of spades and outside thereof to receive the beets from the spades, a shaft whereon said spades and screens are mounted, said shaft mounted at its ends in vertically-shifting boxes on a wheeledcarrier for the spades and screens, lever mechanism pivoted on the main frame of the wheeled carrier for so shifting said boxes, and a frame supporting the cams for closing the spades coincident with the spades and screens, said frame pivoted at one end to the main frame and resting intermediately of its ends on the vertically-shifting boxes for raising the cams in unison with the spades and screens. 9. The combination with the spade and screen carrying shaft and its lifting-levers, and thecam carrying and lifting frameoperated by the bearing-boxes of said shaft and having studs 32, of the top-cutter-carrying frame pivoted on the side members of the main frame and resting on the studs of the cam-lifting frame, and thereby adapted to be raised through the instrumentality of the shaft-lifting levers.

Signed at Wilmington, Delaware, this 23d day of March, 1901.

EDWVARD SANDSTROM. \Vitnesses:

GEO. O. MARIS, I THOMAS G. HOLLAND. 

